I do not own any of the characters, just the plot.
Nico's POV
The shrill beeping woke Nico up with a start. He slammed his fist down on the vial clock and groaned when he saw the 6:00 shining through the darkness. Why the hell am I up at before the sun is? Nico thought, then he remembered he had planned to meet with Hazel for breakfast before going to some new museum that was opening today. She had been buzzing about the opening of the New Orleans art exhibit that featured older art pieces for months, pleading him to go with her. It was just another way for Hazel to force Nico out of the house and 'socialize' with people without openly admitting to it. Lately, both his sister and Jason had been constantly bugging him about going here, there, and everywhere with them. Frankly, it was getting ridiculous but, he had caved when Hazel had pulled her despicable puppy dog eyes on him.
Nico dragged himself out of bed and headed to the shower, turning on the coffee maker along the way. Nico was by no means a morning person and could not physically function in the morning with out his coffee. He had a rough night last night, finally managing to fall into a restless sleep at 4 o'clock in the morning, so he had prepared an additional cup of caffeine.
Nico stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. A pair of forbidding dark eyes stared back with deep shadows seeming to blend in to them, a side effect of his irregular sleep patterns. His once sickly pale skin had started to gain some color, but it was still pale compared to what it had once been. Raven colored hair hung low, reminding Nico that he needed it cut before it covered his eyes too much.
As Nico got ready, thoughts on the Undertakers kept plaguing his mind. He knew things would most likely result in a war, much like what Poseidon had to deal with when Titan Technologies had appeared, and again later, when Gaea Global had tried to resurrect old rivalries against them. Nico had helped in the fighting against both companies, so he was not afraid of a future war. What he was afraid of was how they would exploit Hazel.
When Gaea Global had first appeared, they had taken advantage of Percy's close relationship with Annabeth to lure him in. Before that, Percy had made a name of himself on the streets, and had been a tremendous part of Trident Travels's attack. Wielding his long knife, Riptide, and taking advantage of his skills in the water, Percy was a force to be reckoned with in close combat. To subdue this tremendous force, Gaea had kidnapped Annabeth, Percy's girlfriend at the time, for a trade-off. Being Percy, he had jumped at the chance to save her, even if he knew it was a trap, and was taken and tortured for information. It was a rash decision and Nico had been one of the few parties that had gone out to try and save his sorry self. That was a rash decision on Nico's part.
Now, Nico was the famous warrior on the streets, nicknamed the Ghost King, with everything to gain with the Undertakers' defeat. Unlike in the war against Titan Technologies and Gaea Global, Nico was the asset to exploit with him being the true prince of the Underworld and having the most information on the Underworld's activities. They might try to use his closest friend and sister Hazel to do so.
No, Nico would have to talk to Hazel today on their museum sight-seeing, tell her to get out of town before the fighting ensues just to be sure. He wanted to avoid her getting hurt and couldn't take experiencing- he stopped himself and blocked that unpleasant thought from his mind. Instead he sent a quick text telling Hazel that he was up and began getting ready for the day.
Nico knew something was wrong when he arrived at the restaurant and had not seen Hazel waiting for him. Usually, Hazel was always early to and meeting, and Nico was running late himself. She was never late, being raised with old-fashioned principles from he mother before she had passed away. She had only just recently started to immerse herself in modern society, mainly due to her enrollment at NYU. Nico was odd himself and had been that geeky kid with a creepy and posh father . "Yes it was okay to run an illegal business but no, you cannot speak to me with any of that slang nonsense". Since his full-fledged sister had died, he crawled under a rock so to speak, and refused to talk to people and learn the various fads that grew and changed over the decade.
Now, Nico sat at the corner booth, phone in hand, looking between it and the door. He briefly considered the fact that Hazel could be spending her Saturday morning with Frank, the boy she was talking to yesterday before he decided to call her to find out for himself. When he connected with her cell, Nico immediately started talking in a frenzy of hand gestures that tended to intensify with he was frustrated.
"Hazel, where are you? I am already here. You are the one who insisted that I come to this pointless clown show to begin with, the least you can do is show up for it!"
A cool, nasally voice responded, "Ahh, but you see, dear, sweet Hazel here wanted to come but, there has been a change in plans."
Nico stood up, his erratic hand stilling automatically "Where is she?"
"I think you know exactly where to find her Mr. di Angelo. The question you should be asking is in what condition you will find her in." replied the cool voice.
"If you hurt her-"
"There is no need for threats Mr. di Angelo. If you want your Hazel back, simply come and get her" and with that, the call ended.
Nico stood there for a minute, a raging fire burning within him. He was furious. How DARE they take Hazel, she didn't have anything to do with him and his darker side of life. How had they even gotten her, he didn't even think they would have the audacity to pull off this! Those cowards had taken her, and he intended to get her back. Only one thing stood in the way, a promise he had made a year ago, the promise he never would have wanted to break. He was going back, to the place where he had lost hope, the place his nightmares recreated for him every night. He was going to go through Hell again for his sister.
A/N: I know, How Could I Do That To Hazel You Evil Person, but all will show eventually.
Also, I heard my grandma use "fad" instead of trend, that was what they called it before. Just thought it was interesting and had to incorporate it.
